A Cry For Help
by lollylionpop
Summary: Near and Mello always fight over being L's successors. Their rivalry has stood in the way of so much. But can they both put this aside to help the person they have idolised for the most part of their lives?
1. Chapter 1: The Phone Call

A cry for help: Chapter 1-the Phone call

"I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna kill that little albino bastard!" a frustrated blonde yelled through a mouthful of chocolate as he stormed away from the weekly test scores. Once again, Mello was second to Near. _But that was the last time he will be able to make me second best,_ he thought _,_ getting closer and closer to the room in which the other successor resided.

Before he could turn the door handle, a scarlet haired boy, about the same age as Mello, came running after him. "Mello, you do this after every set of results is revealed- it's getting old now." He tried to convince the fuming boy to calm down. Even though it never worked, Matt didn't like to see his two friends fighting (and by that he meant Mello yelling at his opponent while Near continues to play with his toys and trying to explain to Mello why he 'lost').

"Shut up Matt! That little prick will regret this." The almost-fifteen year old said slightly sadistically.

"Mello, we'll all just get in trouble again" Ignoring his best friends pleads, Mello burst through the door, having no difficulty dislodging stacks of dice and mounds of toys, to find a small, pale skinned, white haired boy dressed in pure white pyjamas, building a tower of playing cards.

"Oh, good morning Mello, Matt. How are you?" attempting to delay Mello launching himself at him and knocking his card tower down, Near tried to make the small talk he often observed other residents of Wammy's House doing. Although he had little to no social skills or awareness to social law, Near found that he was able to replicate politeness he had seen in people and use this to gain information with less resistance or, in this case, prolong the time Mello's anger had to reduce and rationality to increase. Then again, Mello would probably have an outburst of shouting if he was stacking dice and minding his own business.

Mello couldn't stand it when Near acted like he didn't know what was going on, pretending that he just came in for a chat. The way he looked at him while he did it, mocking him somehow, made Mello want to pick him up by his throat and strangle the life out of the younger boy. "Quit the crap Near, you're gonna get it this time." Mello walked closer, clenching his fist while Near turned back to his tower and continued to add to it. "You know why I'm here"

"If you are talking about the exam results Mello then yes, I do know why you are here." The boy on the floor mused. If Mello was going to get angry at him Near might as well cause Mello to expel as much of his anger as he possibly could so these outbursts are less frequent. One time he tried to run away and Mello destroyed his toy plane collection. Unlike humans, pieces of wood and plastic do not regenerate and heal on their own.

"Have you seen them?" Mello growled. He was getting ever more irritated by the calmness in Near's face as if they were having a friendly conversation.

"I don't need to. Don't you think the results for the top students follow a certain pattern Mello? That pattern hasn't changed since my second week here. I-" The smaller boy was suddenly cut off by a strong force propelling him across his room, causing him to slide along the floor and hit his head on the corner of the small wooden bookshelf that was provided for every bedroom in the orphanage.

The smaller boy almost slipped into unconsciousness as he felt a sharp throbbing above his left eye and a pain on the back of his head. His vision was only just clear enough to see a terrified looking Mello pause to think about what to do and then run out of the doorway towards his own room. He directed his sight to the stunned redhead in the middle of the room. Near saw him say something, his words drowned out by the ringing in his ears, and run in the direction of the infirmary.

 _You hit me. Mello, you actually resorted to violence against another human being, a fellow successor._ Near was surprised by Mello's abnormal reaction to his words.

Near fought the weight of sleep, pushing on his consciousness. He focussed on the way the cards from his destroyed tower were scattered across the floor, finding the hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades in an attempt to keep himself awake. Listening to the fading footsteps of Mello and Matt, the darkness engulfed Near's vision and mind as the boy's pure white hair was slowly stained red.

Meanwhile, in Roger's office, a phone started to ring.

 **AN: Hello and welcome to my very first FanFiction story. I've never written FanFiction really before. I do plan to update this semi-regularly. Probably one chapter about this length every three to four weeks but I'm not promising anything. Please don't kill me if this doesn't turn out very good because this will be an experimental thingy. Also, I do not know every intricate detail about Death Note; don't sue me if I get something wrong.**

 **Until next time my few readers. Lollylion out.**


	2. Chapter 2: The Conversation

A cry for help: Chapter 2- The Conversation

 _Listening to the fading footsteps of Mello and Matt, the darkness engulfed Near's vision and mind as the boy's pure white hair was slowly stained red._

 _Meanwhile, in Roger's office, a phone started to ring._

 **Near:**

Near slowly awoke from a dreamless, yet troubled sleep. It only took him a small number of seconds for him to discover where he was. The clean, clinical smelling sheets that were surrounding his small frame felt alien and different to that of his own. He tried to open his eyes, only to discover that the left side of his face was bound in a soft, cotton bandage, preventing sight in his left eye. Seeing only from his right eye, he stared up at the pale tiled ceiling. He listened for any signs of movement outside of the empty and seemingly lifeless infirmary. Nothing but the buzzing of the lighting and the gentle whir of the fan.

It was relaxing, the isolation. Well, he would hardly call it isolation, more just peacefulness. However, the silence and the feeling of content was short lived. It was then when the young boy realised the throbbing pain both in his eye covered by the bandage, and at the back of his head near the top of his neck. Sitting up slowly and trying not to cause the pain to become a greater problem, he looked around his bed. Nothing but a glass of water on the small table to his left

After about ten minutes of trying to find something to do without causing further discomfort to his neck and head, Near slowly drifted back to sleep.

 **Mello**

Before Mello left Near's room, he tried not to think about what he had just done. But now, when he was alone in his room, his breath regulating once again from the short sprint to his room he shared with Matt, he realised what he had just done; he punched Near. He punched him…in the face. He knocked Near out then ran away. He resorted to physical violence towards someone first. Sure, it felt good at the time, I mean, hell, mello couldn't have felt better in that instant of directing all of his outrage at one target, then releasing it. But…towards Near? He just couldn't understand it.

However, what he couldn't understand even more was why he felt so…guilty. Mello had thought about finally taking out his anger on Near and he expected it to give him some sense of peace or superiority. But it did the opposite. Mello felt like he had been reduced down to a pathetic, unintelligent idiot who resorts to violence first. He felt like Near was the one who won by getting him to this point, not Mello finally beating his rival at something.

"Shit, shit, shit, fuck! This is all his fault! It is! But once again I'm going to be the one made to feel like a piece of shit! Roger's going to give me hell for this. I hate that little albino bastard!" Mello screamed aloud, not caring if anyone were to hear him. No one would listen anyway, they'll all favour Near's story and feel sorry for him because he's great at everything, and Mello always comes second to him.

The blonde spent a few more minutes pacing his room, muttering about how he would get revenge someday, until he calmed down and was able to think rationally. He tried to think of excuses, no, _reasons_ as to why he got physically violent with Near. All of them sounded petty and pathetic.

Mello accepted the fact that he was going to be given hell for this, but he was going to give them hell back.

 **Near:**

After just an hour after falling back to sleep, Near was awoken by the sounds of footsteps, not heavy footsteps, but it didn't sound like they were trying to sneak up on him. He opened his eye that wasn't covered by the bandage and saw that Matt was standing at the foot of the bed wth his handheld game console in his hand and his goggles hanging around his neck to reveal his eyes. Near had rarely seen Matt's eyes, they were normally under the tinted goggles and at the occasions that they weren't, his eyes were glued to some kind of game.

"Hey… how're you doing?" Matt asked somewhat awkwardly, looking at the ground and shuffling his feet at the sight of the weak looking boy. Near wondered why Matt was acting like this. _He probably feels guilty for what Mello did_ , Near concluded. Matt had always been close to Mello, where Mello went, Matt was always seen within a five metre radius at least. Also, Matt was, in a sense, Mello's sidekick; he wandered around following him and supporting him, yet he was also his own person. It was this fact that caused Near to respect Matt. He thought that getting emotionally involved with someone in any way would result in some kind of loss of personality, like you would identify solely as being involved with that particular person. Of course some people knew Matt as Mello's best friend, but to many others, he is his own person. This was why Near managed to get on with Matt.

"I guess I'm doing good as far as getting knocked unconscious and waking up in the infirmary goes." Despite his comments, Near did feel better after resting a little more; the pain in his neck had subsided to a dull ache and his left eye felt less swollen. Matt smiled a little at his words, but then he was serious again.

"Look Near, I know that he should really be saying this, but I went to see Mello earlier, and he looks really guilty. You, of all people, know how he can get. I'm just asking for you to not make this any worse than it already is." Matt really did care for his friend. He was extremely loyal, but loyalty can be dangerous if you are completely dependent on it.

"I will answer the questions Roger is inevitably going to ask, truthfully and accurately. Nothing more, nothing less." Near didn't want to lie to Matt, even though he was best friends with his rival. He opened his mouth to say something else when he saw Matt's face of slight anger and confusion, before both boys heard the footsteps of dress shoes, the 'click..click' sound they made piercing the silence that had quickly fallen between the two young boys.

After twenty seconds of the sounds getting closer and closer, the person creating the now slightly irritating noise stepped into the infirmary doorway and looked down at Near and Matt.

"Hello there boys. I'm glad you're awake Near, and Matt, please can you leave for a minute?" Matt hesitantly walked slowly out of the room to resume conversation with Near. "Are you feeling any better Near? You suffered a nasty bang to the head there." the man turned his head to the side, asif silently talking to someone. "Well, you sure have enough energy to talk. You appear to have another visitor."

Roger shifted to the side to let a slightly agitated looking blonde through the doorway. Near made eye contact and sighed,

"Mello."

 **AN: Hello once again! This is a bit of a longer chapter, but I like it. Hopefully the next one will be a bit more eventful though. However, the next one might take a bit longer to be out because I haven't written it yet. (I wrote these first two chapters beforehand so I would have some kind of 'buffer' I guess) Sorry about that but oh well.**

 **Until next time my few readers, Lollylion out.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Decision (pt1)

A Cry For Help Chapter 3- The Choice

 _Roger shifted to the side to let a slightly agitated looking blonde through the doorway. Near made eye contact and sighed,_

" _Mello."_

 **A Cry For Help Chapter 3- The Choice (pt. 1)**

Pre-Yotsuba - unknown

The room was terribly dark. The only source of light being the computer screen in the centre placed precariously on a small table. He knew he was in danger. He knew he would need help if he wanted to solve this case. He knew he couldn't do it alone.

The man sat next to the computer, the database on the screen showing two faces. Two innocent, young faces, as if waiting for him to decide who will be of use, who will replace him

That's all they were, in a logical sense, replacements, nothing more than a copy. He had often considered the morality of this successor system he had, and why he even bothered with choosing his replacements the way he did. Surely, the one who gets the highest grades and has the highest IQ should be the child that succeeds him. However, this was different. He a had already tried a method a little like that in the past and he didn't want to put these children through the same that the others did.

That's another thing; they're children, not even halfway through their teens, and he had already caused both of them to stay cooped up in their rooms trying to be the best, ageing them prematurely. He had seen them after a test once before, exhausted, with dark circles under their eyes, looking like they had aged years from staying up just to study. Since then he demanded for Roger to check on them at night to make sure they were all sleeping. Their physical and mental health needed to be prioritised; they couldn't go through what he forced himself and others to do.

They were young people, with their own beautiful minds, who idolised him for his work, with still so much waiting for them. Did they consider themselves replacements like the others might? Did the rest of them care? His mind was a mess. He had been trying to decide this for years now, and this new decision was taking him weeks.

"Excuse me. Is the signal breaking up? I can't hear you." A crackling voice came through the speakers of the laptop, sounding concerned from the lack of conversation.

"Uh, yes…yes I'm still here. Sorry about that." He replied, pressing his thumb to his lower lip, "I would prefer it if I made this decision on my own." His colleague wasn't aware of his deductions yet. The man would prefer not to tell him just yet, not until he had decided everything…Not yet.

He closed down the laptop and thought in the dark.

 _I guess this is the decision then._

 **AN: 'Ello everyone! I apologise this took so long to be released (well I did warn you last time). This chapter was just really hard to write for some reason; the words just wouldn't…ugh…I still can't do it now!**

 **This chapter was originally supposed to be longer but I have decided that should be in another one instead. I also appreciate that this is incredibly short so another one should be out in a few weeks or so (but don't quote me on that)**

 **I have decided now that I am going to write a few at a time now so there will be periods of EXTREME activity from me but probably a lot more inactive times.**

 **Thanks for taking the time to read this, and as always:**

 **Until next time my few readers, Lollylion out.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Visitor

A Cry for Help Chapter 4 – The Visitor

 **Present day- Mello**

The boy walked down the corridor with purpose. Near had been in the infirmary since 10am, _he must be awake after three hours of rest_ Mello thought to himself, trying to repress the growing feeling of anxiety in his stomach as he got ever closer to the room in which his rival lay.

He wanted to get to the room before he was forced to apologise by Roger. He was going to make his own decisions. For once, he would control his own life.

Mello, so consumed in his own thoughts, continued to his destination. Matt, walking in the other direction, exiting the infirmary, attempted to make any contact at all with the frustrated blonde to no avail. The best friends' paths crossed for the first time without communication (be it verbal or not). Mello kept walking.

As the boy rounded the corner, he came to his senses and noticed a tall, suited figure in the doorway to the room; Roger.

 _Shit!_ He thought to himself, _Why does he need to be here? I should go back._ The boy turned to leave when the man in front of him sensed his presence, turned around, and looked Mello right in the eye, then turned back to Near, continuing his conversation.

"Well, you sure have enough energy to talk. You appear to have another visitor." Roger shifted to the side to let the frustrated boy through. Mello looked up to make eye contact with the boy in the bed in front of him, who sighed at Mello, then spoke.

"Mello"

This time it was Near who looked to the ground and broke the ongoing stare between the two rivals after some time, before shaking his head, sighing, then finally, speaking once again.

"Why are you still so angry Mello? You got your revenge, didn't you?" The younger boy's speech just caused Mello to become more enraged. It wasn't just his words, it was the questioning, yet careless tone to his voice, the neutral look on his face, the slight smirk on his lips, and just everything about the boy at that moment in time.

Mello, becoming more and more angered by the second, tried to distract himself by looking at Near and seeing him as his rival, but as a complete stranger. He noticed how little of the hospital bed the boy took up, how he had a small cut on his lip from him presumably biting it, how only one of his eyes was not covered by a bandage, how his snow white hair stuck out in all directions from both sleeping and the bandage being in place. After focussing on these minute details for a few seconds, Mello calmed down enough to be able to talk to the younger boy.

"How's your head?" Mello said, trying to make small talk after the seemingly endless silence that had been forming between the two boys. Near raised his hand to his head, touched it lightly, and winced quietly.

"Better than it was. I don't have concussion and the nurse says that it should heal soon." Silence fell for the fourth time on the conversation. Although it was Near who was the worst at polite small talk with people, he was able to talk to Mello like he was speaking to Matt, or anyone else for that matter. Mello on the other hand, normally couldn't look at Near without feeling either uncomfortable about being around the emotionless albino, or enraged at whatever comment he might make, let alone have a normal conversation with him. Mello had run out of questions that would lead to an answer he wouldn't find irritating. Near shifted slightly.

"So Mello, is there anything you particularly came here for?" Mello heard the shuffle of Rogers feet outside the infirmary door: he was watching the boys, waiting to see if one will apologise. Mello couldn't be sure if Near was intentionally manipulating their conversation to achieve that result or not. Near wouldn't care about an apology, he never did. When someone accidently knocked the card tower he had spent a whole day building, he just told them that he didn't mind and said that "what's done is done" bullshit. He just didn't care.

Although Mello was his friend for years, and

now his competitor, Mello sometimes felt he hardly knew anything about Near or his true capabilities.

Should he apologise? Of course not! Mello wasn't sorry for what he did, he didn't feel guilty. No, that wasn't how he was feeling. He was just, disappointed in himself to be honest. Violence has always been his last resort when it comes to his emotions and he thought that he would be able to outsmart the instinct to fight when it comes to Near.

The blonde paused for a second, then replied.

"No. Just wondered what was taking you so long to get back to class. Speaking of which, I need to go and do some homework, so I guess I'll see you later." After just reaching the door, his path was blocked by the tall elderly man, towering over Mello.

Roger stood there for a moment and glanced at both Near and Mello, then spoke in his usual calm tone of voice.

"Ah Mello, good to see you here. But boys, before we part I need to speak to you both quickly. Mello, take a seat." He extended his palm towards the chair at Near's bedside, "Go on. You're not in trouble" after following Rogers instructions and sitting down, he glanced at Near to be met with the boy's eyes also looking at him. Even though that moment lasted an instant before Near tuned his head back to Roger, it was enough time for Mello to see something different; uncertainty. Near had no idea what was going on. It was strange.

Mello looked back to Roger, a puzzled expression on his face "I got a phone call from someone you two might like to meet."

 **AN: Hi again! I have good news: It's summer now so I will have more time to write. Yay! So hopefully I will be able to write a butt-tonne of stuff to post. Actually, by the time I post the next chapter it will probably be Halloween because I'm going to save up chapters again so you don't have to wait so long for a new chapter. it might take a while though. Just don't expect anything from me for ages. I'm posting this to get me motivated to write more chapters today…please review and things ^_^**

 **Until next time my few readers, Lollylion out**

* * *

 **Update: I'm writing the next chapter and it should be out sooner than expected. However it is going to be relatively short. thanks ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5: The Decision (pt2)

A Cry For Help Chapter 5- The Choice (pt. 2)

 _Mello looked back to Roger, a puzzled expression on his face "I got a phone call from someone you two might like to meet."_

 **Pre-Yotsuba- unknown**

This was impossible. He had been sitting awake for almost three days debating this, and every time he came to a conclusion, he would realise that he was completely wrong about it all. The growing sense of hatred and frustration now arose every time he confronted the decision.

He was getting paranoid, that's all. Paranoid that it would turn out like last time. But he changed the system, and made sure that the carers reported on the childrens' mood, eating habits, sleep patterns, and other important factors to make sure that they weren't at risk. Of course he allowed for the children to have their own free will. "Strange" mannerisms were expected, and were not discouraged or seen as weird. They are reported, but only for safety reasons.

His mind was wandering again. When trying to decide, his mind seemed to try to protect itself by distancing itself from the problem at hand. It was the only time he couldn't concentrate.

Ever since the last successors passed and the system was changed, he was required to choose someone. But he was usually busy with other jobs that he had to devote most of his time to, like observing Light and Misa. But since the task force insisted he have a few days off after his rather…intense interrogation of the two suspects, he had nothing to do. When he was left with his own time, this was the only thing he had to do.

"I need another distraction. It's getting… boring." He was talking to no one in particular, and sat in silence for quite a while before calling out to his companion in the other room "Watari, please can you bring out some tea?"

"Of course." A voice belonging to an elderly, moustached man replied. There was sounds of a kettle boiling, the "clink" of a metal spoon against china, and footsteps before the man in the dark room was able to see Watari entering.

He walked across the room towards the table and set the tray down beside the man crouched down on the floor before saying, "You should have a light on in here or you'll ruin your eyesight." His voice sounding like a broken record to the man on the floor. He had spent the past few days in this room using nothing but the computer's screen as a light, and his colleague was starting to become concerned.

"Watari, has anything happened with the Kira case lately? Have any criminals been killed? Has Light confessed yet?"

"I'm afraid not; Light remains certain that he is not Kira and refuses to admit that neither Misa nor himself have any connections to them." Watari stated whilst removing the teacup, bowl of sugar cubes, cakes, and other sweets from the tray, and putting them on the table. Immediately, the man sat on the floor started dropping sugar cubes into the cup.

"That's unfortunate. Thank you Watari." He replied, not taking his eyes off the sugar cubes. After their conversation, the older of the two left the room, leaving the other alone once again.

Hours of eating sweets and drinking tea passed without even thinking of the decision, then a day, then three days, before he admitted to himself:

"I need help."

He did. He needed help with this decision, with his friendship with the only two suspects they had, with the danger he is constantly putting himself in by getting more and more personally involved in the case, with his mental state in general.

And through admitting all of the things he needed to fix in his current state, he realised something: He needed help with the case, more help. He needed the help from minds like his.

 _No. I can't do that to them. They'd be in so much danger. They would refuse to cooperate too. And even if they did, they would still feel the need to compete – it's just normal for them._ L instantly disregarded the idea of involving children, _children,_ in the case. But what else could he do? Kira obviously had a similar mind to the detective and there are only two realistic possibilities:

Light is Kira and whilst he is imprisoned he cannot kill anyone – the only problem with this is that he seems far from admitting, and even if he did, it wouldn't be as reliable as sound evidence like a murder 'weapon' of sorts. He would have to be released at some point either to go to prison or to be set free. And Light already knew what L looked like.

Light isn't Kira and the real Kira is using him as a suspect - leading him to believe that he cannot kill because he is imprisoned, whilst gathering information about the detective, slowly plotting his demise.

Either way, he knew he was in danger. he had made too many mistakes at the beginning of the case. Revealing his identity to a suspect, becoming friends with said suspect, and getting involved with his relationship, in which their partner is _also_ a suspect.

The FBI had refused to work with him, shortly followed by the rest of the international police force in general. He had no one to ask. No one to turn to. He started to think:

 _No. not this again. I can't live my life as an unmade decision. They aren't in any danger anyway._ "Pull yourself together!" He finished his sentence aloud.

And at that, he picked up the phone, and dialled the number he knew off by heart. After a few rings someone picked up.

"Hello?" The voice sounded suspicious of the caller.

"Roger" The man replied and the person on the other end instantly relaxed.

"L"

 **AN: Shit chapter! There, I said it before you had the chance to. Goddammit…**

 **Anyway, sorry about this, I just needed to get the second part of this chapter out before it killed me. This chapter as a whole has annoyed me so the next chapter will be long and things will make sense. But please review if you want to…or don't… it's your life**

 **Until next time my few readers**


	6. Chapter 6: The Briefing (pt1)

A Cry For Help Chapter 6- The Briefing (pt. 1)

 _And at that, he picked up the phone, and dialled the number he knew off by heart. After a few rings someone picked up._

" _Hello?" The voice sounded suspicious of the caller._

" _Roger" The man replied and the person on the other end instantly relaxed._

" _L"_

 **Present Day-Near**

Finally, Near had left the infirmary after spending hours in that bed. His, legs, his back, and, of course, his head ached, but at least he was in his room again.

It was strange though, thinking that this would be one of the last times he would spend time in this room for a while. He sighed, walked through the door, and sat down on his bed. The sheets had been changed since he had been knocked unconscious, the floor had been cleared of the cards that had been previously scattered across the floor and were now placed in a neat pile on the bedside cabinet.

After looking at his room a little longer, Near lied down on his bed, closed his eyes, and tried to process the events of the last hour.

Near had woken up, talked to Matt, and had a slightly strange conversation with Mello. He had obviously gone there on his own accord seeing as both Roger and Matt were with Near so they couldn't have persuaded Mello during the time that he was awake. It was slightly confusing.

Just as Mello was about to leave, Roger stepped into the doorway, requested to speak to them both and revealed the reason. Mello was the first to ask

"What is it? I need to get back to do some work." He said, gritting his teeth. He had spent more than enough time in the same room as Near and wanted to leave. Even though he could see Mello becoming frustrated at the situation, Roger stood his ground when talking to the boys. He knew that they both respected him too much to disobey him.

"I am sure you are both aware that this event will not be forgotten." His serious speech caused the standing boy to look at his shifting feet, and caused the other to nod passively. "However, if you are both willing, we can put this behind us to move on. Yes?" He looked at the boys reactions; Near nodded in agreement once again, and Mello paused for a second before also nodding.

"Now that's over, I have something else to talk to you both about." The two looked up in confusion as the older man continued, "I recently got a phone call from someone you two might like to meet."

After a few seconds of consideration, Near knew what Roger was talking about. It only took Mello a little longer to catch on and speak up at the same time as the boy propped up next to him.

"L" they said at the same time. Although Mello would normally be agitated in a situation like this, he was too focussed to even give Near a glance of annoyance. After taking a moment to let the boys gather their thoughts, Roger spoke again.

"Yes, you are both right. Now, as I was saying, I got a phone call from L, and he has a proposal for the both of you." The boys continued in their silence, not wanting to interrupt the man in front of them in fear of the word they were so close to hearing being delayed. "He has decided that you two have both spent too long at top spots in this house for him not to meet you both. Don't you think?"

It was only Mello who spoke up, with confusion, shock, and a hint of hope in his voice, and vocalised his conclusion. "L is coming here?"

That idea was, of course, slightly absurd. Near knew that the detective wouldn't risk coming to Wammy's; it would put himself in danger and, if anyone saw him, any stranger could know where all of the mentally stable successors of L were

"Close Mello, but not quite." The boys could sense that the old man was betting amusement out of their confusion "I'm sure you both understand that the idea of L visiting here would be extremely dangerous. It's just impossible for him."

Mello raised an eyebrow at Roger, still remaining standing, and impatiently asked again. "What then? Another video conference?" it was obvious that the boy was getting slightly irritated with the man's repeated refusal to tell him what was going on. As the man shook his head, Near spoke up to try to prevent Mello getting even more agitated.

"What's going on Roger, I think it would be useful to all of us if you just told us what is going on." Near did have a slight suspicion as to what was going on, however he dared to speak it in front of Mello in fear of being subject to his anger once again.

"Alright then." it was obvious that the man was at least slightly enjoying this. "L has decided that he would like to see the both of you in person. He has also come to the conclusion that the safest way to do so is for you to go and visit him where he is currently living with Watari."

The older boy's face lit up at these words, "You mean in Japan?" Near also smiled at the thought of travelling to Japan to meet the Detective. Roger nodded and Mello beamed with excitement. Near found this quite amusing how the almost 15 year old was practically jumping up and down with happiness at this turn of events. Mello hadn't been like this for a long time.

As the three of them were trapped in this scene of anticipation and happiness, the nurse came out from the door leading to an office. She told Near that he was good to go after she took the bandage off. Near complied and sat quietly as the nurse cut away the white fabric around his head. After he felt it off of his head, he heard a quiet smirk from the boy next to him. He looked up at Roger to see the man holding back a smile, and both the boys were instructed to go back to their rooms.

Near decided that he would go and have a shower, change his clothes, then build another card tower. As he reached the closest bathroom and went into one of the small, private sections of the room, he looked in the mirror.

It was different to say the least; he had a cut on his lip from where he must have bit it when he fell over, a small swelling on the left of his forehead, and a red mark on his ear where the bandage had been. But that wasn't the strangest part: his hair was all over the place! It stuck up at the top like it usually did, but so did the sides from where they were stuck underneath his bandage. He also had a small patch of red where he had hit his head. One might say that a shower was more than a good idea.

A loud knocking sound came from the door and woke Near from his trance. He knew it was Matt because Mello would have just walked through the door and anyone else would have said something by now. That and the quiet pinging of a video game also gave a slight clue.

Near called out to let them in the room. As expected, the redheaded gamer with a videogame at hand walked in and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. His tinted goggles were covering his eyes as opposed to hanging round his neck and he looked at his feet before muttering without looking back up.

"Hi Near, so… Mello told me about the L thing."

 **AN: Hey there, new chapter. It's about time! so yeah. I don't know what else to say here. But yeah. I hope you enjoyed reading it. It was a longer one as well. See, I do make an effort!**

 **Well anyway, until next time my few readers,**

 **Lollylion out!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Third (pt1)

A Cry For Help Chapter 7- The Third pt1

 **A loud knocking sound came from the door and woke Near from his trance. He knew it was Matt because Mello would have just walked through the door and anyone else would have said something by now. That and the quiet pinging of a video game also gave a slight clue.**

 **Near called out to let them in the room. As expected, the redheaded gamer with a videogame at hand walked in and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. His tinted goggles were covering his eyes as opposed to hanging round his neck and he looked at his feet before muttering without looking back up.**

" **Hi Near, so… Mello told me about the L thing."**

 **Present day – Mello**

Mello could only just manage to get just outside the infirmary door before grinning wildly and throwing a fist into the air. He couldn't fully believe what had just happened. He was going to finally work with the man that he had been following the footsteps of for years!

Careful not to make too much noise, Mello ran down the hallway. He needed to tell someone; more specifically, Matt. He practically sprinted to his door and stopped outside, narrowly avoiding falling and sliding down the corridor. Bursting into his shared room, he was greeted by the familiar sight of his redheaded roommate, and best friend, sitting on his bed with his eyes locked on a flashing screen, making no noise except the occasional curse following the ever so familiar "game over" tune. Noticing his friend's sudden appearance, Matt was careful in what he did, not knowing if the blonde's sudden movements were a result of excitement or anger. Pausing his game and setting his console down next to him, Matt spoke.

"What's up?" Matt had realised that this was a mostly safe expression to start up a conversation with his friend when he is unsure what the reaction will be. As if he was waiting for his friend to ask him, Mello couldn't hold in the news anymore.

"L wants to work with me, Matt. I'll finally get to meet him!" A wide grin stretched across his face as the blonde said this, as if he was confirming to himself that what he was just told is actually going to happen. Mello hadn't felt anything like this is so long. Most of his time now was occupied by studying, and the rest was normally taken up by the hell him and his partner in crime raise when they're bored and when Wammy's needs a little livening up. He couldn't describe this feeling, but he knew it was amazing.

Seeing his best friend smiling so excitedly and sincerely, Matt couldn't help but smile back. Despite it being subtle, he had noticed changes in his friend's personality and general presentation recently; he had become more cynical and jaded, as if he was getting fed up of living at Wammy's. Of course, he had said it years prior, but recently, the threats of him moving out had become all too real. He seemed to get less and less sleep every week as he desperately tried to keep up with and overtake Near, putting not only his physical, but his mental health at risk. Matt understood it was difficult to even be in the middle ranks in Wammy's, let alone right at the very top when the top two are fighting over one possible role. But in this moment of happiness, no matter how short lived it may or may not be, Mello seemed to transform into his former, happy, childish self, almost jumping up and down in excitement. It was nice to see him like that.

Snapping back into the present moment, Matt grinned even more and got up to talk to Mello. "Dude, that's amazing!" He laughed for a moment, "And here I was thinking that you were going to get punished for punching Near's lights out." The two burst into fits of laughter at this comment and the general strangeness of the whole situation. However, in this moment of joy, a difficult question popped into the gamer's head.

"Mello, does this mean you've beaten Near? What's his role in all of this?" These carefully worded questions felt alien being spoken by Matt, but he felt this caution was necessary in a situation like this.

The other boy's smile suddenly faded from his face, but only for a few seconds as he processed the fact that his best friend was asking about his competitor over him. But he knew that, since he wasn't there, Matt was bound to be curious about this whole situation, including Near. Smiling again, despite it not being as bright, Mello told his friend what he was told by Roger.

"Roger said that we will both need to work together." He watched as the colour in his friend's face seemed to drain out of fear and tried to reassure him. "I know it sounds crazy, but I really want this Matt. You of all people should understand this. And if it means I have to put up with that apathetic, smartass, son of a bitch, I'll still go for it." Matt could not only sense how truthful Mello was being in this moment, but how mature he was acting. After letting out a relieved sigh, Mello took this moment as an opportunity to leave.

"Well I'm gonna go look up the latest cases L's solved; gotta become the guy's favourite before that dickhead gets there" he quickly stated before almost running out of the room. Matt smiled goodbye and waited for the footsteps to fade before returning to his usual, slouched position on his bed near the window on the right side of the room.

The scarlet-haired boy loaded up his game once again and tried to resume playing it, but something felt wrong. Not being able to concentrate on his game, he threw himself back to lay sprawled out on his bed, and let out a long, loud sigh before closing his eyes to reflect.

 **AN: So…it's been a while…again.**

 **It's been much longer than expected as well. I was seriously considering dropping this story for a very long time, but I have the bulk of it planned out in my head; I'm just really bad at introducing stories. I'd need at least two pairs of hands to list the stories that didn't even get past three chapters.**

 **Also, I know this story is all over the place, but I promise the timeline will even out slightly when the real plotline actually starts – probably after this chapter because I'm fed up of build-up goddammit!**

 **Oh yeah, I know it's kinda weird to say, but thanks to the guest named randomuffin for asking this to be updated. I mean, I don't write stories with the sole intention of people reading my stuff, but it helped me get motivated to write this chapter…at half past midnight…I'm going to hate myself later today.**

 **Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter (I'm praying that my writing style hasn't drastically changed whilst I've been gone), I enjoyed writing it anyway, and of course:**

 **Until next time my few readers, Lollylion out!**


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